Experiences from a Kannadiga's kitchen, twists on traditional eats, delectable accidents and more

Hunna Huralikayi Huli / Mature green Beans curry

My favorite time of the year is here. The pick-your-own produce is in full swing and the farmer's market is full of vitality and colors. This past weekend we hit our favorite farm and loaded up on beautiful and fresh vegetables. We loved what we saw and we loved what we ate and are eating. This time around we got a bunch of our favorite vegetables including the bitter gourd, egg plants, capsicum including the purple ones, never seen that one before and the purple colored mature beans. I was delighted to see the mature beans still hanging on the plants and decided to get a bunch of those. I hope I did not ruin the farmer-lady's plans of converting it to seeds for the next season. As usual Sunny boy had a great time at the farm. He picked a lot of good and not-so-good vegetables and then 'helped' me shell the beans too. They sure to grow up fast.

A sad update on my gardening venture. The past week's scorcher dried up most of my plants,including the sunflowers.My coriander did sprout. They were not irradiated after all, but they ended long before they could be on our table. May be I should try again, the season is still long enough of a couple of attempts.

The mature green beans are a delicacy and we relish it very much. Traditionally, it is cooked with eggplants and potatoes in a curry and served with Akki Rotti or rice. This is our dinner tonight

Peel the onion and discard the skin. Stick it to a metal skewer or a fork and hold it over the flame. Roast it till the skin develops charred spots. Remove from the fire and set it aside to cool.

Combine the coconut, Sambar powder, tamarind and the cooled onion in a blender and puree the mixture into a smooth paste along with a little water.

Remove the coconut paste into a thick bottom stock pot and add 2 cups of water. Bring it to a boil. Simmer and throw in the beans, eggplant and the potatoes. Cover and cook till the vegetables are tender.

Meantime, prepare the oggarane/tadka. Heat Ghee in a pan. Throw in the mustard seeds, Jeera, Hing and curry leaves in quick succession until they pop. Remove from heat and pour the contents into the curry.

Adjust salt and throw in a small piece of Jaggery. Stir well and remove from heat. Serve hot with Rice or Akki Rotti